London

" Then there is the London Eye, a big wheel 135 metres high. It was built in 2000 and celebrates the Millennium. It never stops moving, but it moves very slowly. Visitors travel in the capsules on the wheel for 30 minutes, and when the weather is good, you can see for 40 kilometres across London." (p. 18)





     What do you think about London? I think most people imagine that London is one of the most famous cities in the world or a lot of visitors visit there. Furthermore, this place is a theater of the famous novel written by Arthur Conan Doyle. Especially, Sherlock Holmes is a famous character in his work. There is also a place associated with Holmes in London, so it attracts fans a lot. Of course, these are true things but London has many other attractive and interesting points such as history, nature, and culture.
   
     In 1066, William the Conqueror became a new king and he built a castle. As a result, London got bigger and bigger and it was the most important city in England. In addition, the power of royalty was stronger though successors changed. However, 1665 was the worst year for London. The Year of the Great Plague happened because of hot weather and 100000 of people died. Besides, the Great Fire of London happened in 1666 and it was said that this event continued for four days. Although the city experienced such sad occurrences, many of the buildings today were built when Queen Victoria was the queen. Then, technology, especially means of transportation, developed and people could come to London easily.

     London has a lot of beautiful buildings, so many visitors come to see them today. For example, Buckingham Palace, The Tower of London, Big Ben, The London Eye, Hyde Park, The British Museum, and so on. These are very famous and symbols of London. Foreign people visit there every year and these buildings must be fascinated them. Moreover, they enjoy seeing a stage, watching a sport game at London like a tennis. However, the tickets are very high, so you must buy them when they are cheap.

     This book is in the Oxford Bookworms series and it is a non-fiction story. If you read this book, it is very helpful for you to understand about London. The book has also many pictures with color and explains characteristics of London briefly, so you can imagine the city with ease. You should try to read this book when you have a chance to go to London as an introductory book. Of course, everybody who has some interesting about this city also ought to read the book!


Escott, John. (2008). London. England: Oxford University Press